I wanted an interior hatch release for sleeping in the truck. I also didn't want to spend any money, or more than an hour of time. The process is a little more complex due to the 4R's rear window party trick. Here's what I came up with.
Parts
-Bike brake cable
-Bike cable housing
-2 end ferrules
-zip ties.
You can get this for free off a junk bike, in the trash at your local bike shop, or for 10 bucks on amazon.
Amazon.com : Star-Art Brake Cable Housing Kit Set for Road Mountain Bicycle Cycling, Package Includes: 2 PCS 1.8m Brake Cables, 1 PCS 3m Brake housing, 6 PCS Ferrules, 6 PCS Cable end caps, 6 PCS C-Clips Buckle : Sports & Outdoors
-Remove the hatch plastic cover, it pops off easily.
-Disconnect and remove the body ECU.
-Remove the metal cover secured with a bunch of 10mm bolts.
-Attach the brake cable to the hatch handle linkage with zip ties. (Blue circle)
(Connect it to the horizontal rod, so when the doors are locked the the interior release is disabled and doesn't set off the alarm.)
-Slide your housing onto the cable, and wedge it below the existing release cable. (Purple circle)
-Route the cable over to the drivers side edge of the hatch, then back around to the middle so that it will clear the window rolling down. (Red dots)
-Zip tie securely to the body. (Green circles)
-If you want to test the window at this point to make sure everything clears, reconnect the body ECU and make 100% sure the window is supported from the bottom. The rubber trim that usually supports it is attached to the plastic cover that was removed. The window will make a horrible scraping noise on the metal if you don't support it. Ask me how I know.
-Route your cable housing out the middle of the hatch towards the interior. There's a convenient cut out with a rubber cap in the right spot.
-Drill a tiny hole in the plastic cover. I had a little metal grommet, so I used it here.
-Pull the cable out of the housing, then trim the housing to length, reinsert cable.
-Reinstall the steel hatch cover, body ECU.
-Pass cable through plastic cover into interior.
-You'll need some kind of handle on the cable end. I used some scrap steel to make a cable clamp, and finished it off with some scrap cable housing.
Bonus pic, my sleeping/storage platform:
Full album:
4Runner interior hatch release - Album on Imgur
Clear as mud, right? Hope this helps someone!